On 25 September 2013, the President of the 68th General Assembly, Mr. John William Ashe, convened a one-day “Special Event to Follow up Efforts Made Towards Achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”,at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Special Event on MDGs was held in light of par. 79 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/65/1 entitled “Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve Millennium Development Goals”*.
It is to be noted that the Event was essentially co-facilitated by Mrs. Anne Anderson, Permanent Representative of Ireland, and Mr. Jeremiah Nyamane Kingsley Mamabolo, Permanent Representative of South Africa.
As the 2015 completion date for the eight MDGs expires in less than 850 days, the heads of states and governments gathered to review progress in achieving MDGs and urgently sketch priorities on the post-2015 development agenda.
Interestingly, at the 2010 High-Level Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to review progress towards the MDGs, Governments requested the UN Secretary-General to initiate thinking on the global development agenda beyond 2015. In this context, Ban Ki-Moon established the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda in January 2012 and launched his High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda in July 2012. Besides, the outcome document of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio +20, widely known as “The Future We Want”, initiated an inclusive and democratic process to develop a set of Sustainable Development Goals (§248) which will substantially build upon the formulation laid by Millennium Development Goals. As a result, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals was constituted In January 2013. There is a broad agreement that the two processes should be closely linked and should ultimately converge in one global development agenda beyond 2015 with sustainable development and poverty eradication at its core.
During the opening plenary of the Special Event on the MDGs which took place in September 2013, Member States enthusiastically endorsed the Outcome Document on MDGs. The Outcome Document on MDGs, consisting of four interrelated elements, skillfully presents the current state of MDGs Implementation, outlines priorities for accelerating progress, underlines the central role of the Global Partnership for Development and finally provides a roadmap for the post-2015 sustainable development framework.
Hopefully, a Summit at Heads of States and Governments level will be held in September 2015 to adopt the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
Note
*Resolution A/RES/65/1 entitled “Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve Millennium Development Goals” see: http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/65/1
Sources: UNEP, UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform
For further information:
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2726&ArticleID=9632
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1561
http://www.google.gr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Outcome%2520documentMDG.pdf&ei=ut9GUoCBBYWd7Qb2r4DIDg&usg=AFQjCNGO_flFPJsa7-DTQRZmMuZkOaIIEg
About the author

MEPIELAN Centre
MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.
Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.
MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).
On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable